How about that Jayson Gonzalez?
The former Bristol Blue and Futures Collegiate Baseball League Home Run Derby champion muscled a single through a drawn-in infield to give his fourth-seeded Vanderbilt University team a 7-6 victory in 12 innings over the fifth-seeded University of Arizona on Saturday night in the College World Series opener for both teams in Omaha, Neb. The CWS is played at TD Ameritrade Park.
Gonzalez, a senior and California native, also hit a two-run home run while batting out of the No. 9 slot.
“I was just trying to get a pitch over the plate,” Gonzalez said about his winning hit. “Bases loaded, one out, I was just trying to put the ball in play and pass it on to the next guy.”
Gonzalez did more than put the ball in play, and as the ball snuck under the Arizona shortstop’s glove and rolled into center field, Gonzalez put his left hand in the air in celebration. Gonzalez finished the game 3-for-5 with the home run, two singles, a walk, two runs scored and three RBI. He is hitting .299 for the season with eight home runs and 38 RBI.
Gonzalez played for the Blues in 2017 and hit .281 in 28 games (96 at bats) with three home runs and a team-high 23 RBI.
Photo credit: Vanderbilt athletics
